'He blocked me': Denise Van Outen reveals former pal Johnny Vaughan has blanked her since she quit his breakfast show

By Jody Thompson

'He wasn't happy about me joining in the first place'

Off mic: Denise Van Outen says she hasn't spoken to her former friend and co-host Johnny Vaughan since she quit his breakfast show

Denise Van Outen has claimed her former close friend Johnny Vaughan never wanted her on his Capital FM breakfast show and hasn't spoken to her since she left.

The 36-year-old Only Way Is Essex narrator quit Vaughan's morning show in 2008 and at the time she blamed it on the early starts.

However, in an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live yesterday, Van Outen said it was a 'difficult situation' when she left the show and that she no longer speaks to her 44-year-old former close pal and Big Breakfast co-host.

The pair had been friends since they first co-hosted the Big Breakfast together in 1998. But asked yesterday by 5 Live host Richard Bacon when they last saw each other, Denise lamented: 'I haven't seen Johnny for a while.'

She laughed when asked when that was, admitting: 'Since I left the breakfast show! I haven't heard from him. Not when I got married or fell pregnant or anything, no.'

Asked if that hurts her, she said: 'Yes it does, it's a shame because we were really good friends.

'I found at the time it was quite a difficult situation. As much as I love Johnny, it wasn't a comfortable environment to be.'

About face: Denise, who is currently starring in Legally Blonde, says she didn't even hear from Johnny when she got married or had baby Betsy

Denise added that it wasn't because he was unhappy about her departure.

She said: 'I think he wasn't happy that I joined in the first place, he made it quite clear. But I think at the time, in his defence, he was used to doing the show on his own.'

Van Outen added: 'So I felt a little bit uncomfortable being there and now the show's changed completely.'

The Legally Blonde: The Musical star said it did hurt that she didn't receive a message from him when she got married or had her daughter Betsy.

She said: 'I did try and speak to him since I left but he kind of blocked me!'

Johnny now co-hosts the Capital FM breakfast show with Lisa Snowdon.